Another battle for supremacy in London commences as Chelsea welcome league leaders Arsenal to Stamford Bridge in what could be a mouth-watering Premier League derby on Sunday lunchtime.
Both sides enter the game on the back of continental successes, as the Blues got the better of Dinamo Zagreb 2-1 in the Champions League, while the Gunners advanced to the last 16 of the Europa League with a 1-0 win over FC Zurich at the Emirates.
Winning in Europe is always the perfect road to redemption after a catastrophic defeat at domestic level, especially one which saw the Blues succumb to a 4-1 drubbing to Graham Potter’s former side Brighton & Hove Albion at the Amex Stadium last weekend.
They were made to work for their atonement against Dinamo Zagreb, coming back from a goal down to win 2-1 thanks to goals from Raheem Sterling and Denis Zakaria enough to claim a much needed three points to boost confidence heading into Sunday’s crucial London derby encounter.
The Blues’ impressive defensive run under Potter may have been wiped out by his former side, but suffering just one defeat in 11 games is far from the worst start for the former Swansea manager, although his side do have some ground to make up in the Premier League table as they lie in sixth position, two points behind Manchester United in fifth and three points behind Newcastle United who sit in fourth, but the Blues do hold a game in hand on the Magpies.
And Chelsea can take some encouragement heading into the battle with Arsenal, as they are unbeaten in 12 consecutive matches in all competitions in front of their own fans.
However, Arsenal were the most recent team to overcome Chelsea on their own patch, and Stamford Bridge has historically been a happy hunting ground for the North London club in recent memory, so Mikel Arteta and his men will be confident they can continue their sensational start to the campaign with the bragging rights on Sunday.
In contrast to their rivals, the Gunners sought to atone a European defeat against PSV Eindhoven with a Premier League win last weekend, and the Gunners certainly demonstrated a clinical edge that has been absent more often than not recently, putting five past a hapless Nottingham Forest on home turf.
They followed that up with a rather lackluster 1-0 win over FC Zurich in the Europa League on Thursday evening, lacking the cutting edge and ruthlessness they exerted against Forest, but comfortably sending them through to the last-16 of the competition.
The Gunners enter this weekend’s contest still two points clear of Manchester City at the top of the Premier League table, but they could be knocked down to second by Sunday if the champions beat Fulham on Saturday afternoon.
All five of the points that Arsenal have dropped in the Premier League this season have come on the road, but they nevertheless remain the division’s best-performing away side this term and have only conceded four goals on rival turf so far – the best record in the division.
Arteta has led Arsenal to two consecutive triumphs at Stamford Bridge in the last two seasons – with a 2-0 win for Chelsea at the Emirates sandwiched in between – and a new club record could also be set for the Gunners, who are aiming to win three successive Premier League London derbies away from home without conceding for the very first time.
PREMIER LEAGUE FORM (LAST SIX):
CHELSEA: WWWDDL
ARSENAL: WWWWDW
WHERE & WHEN?
Venue: Stamford Bridge.
Date: Sunday, 6th November 2022.
Time: 12:00PM. (BST).
MATCH OFFICIALS
Referee: Michael Oliver.
Assistant referees: Stuart Burt, Dan Cook.
Fourth official: Robert Jones
VAR: Jarred Gillet.
Assistant VAR: Matthew Wilkes.
MATCH FACTS
Head-to-head
- Arsenal are vying to win three consecutive league games away to Chelsea for the first time since 1974.
- The Gunners have won three of their past four Premier League fixtures versus the Blues. Prior this, they had only claimed two victories in 17 top-flight meetings (D6, L9).
Chelsea
- Chelsea are unbeaten in 12 home matches in all competitions since losing 4-2 to Arsenal on 20 April (W7, D5).
- Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang can become the second player, after Cesc Fabregas, to score for both Arsenal and Chelsea in Premier League matches between the clubs. Aubameyang netted 68 times in 128 top-flight appearances for the Gunners between 2018 and 2021.
- Raheem Sterling has eight Premier League goals versus Arsenal – the only teams he has a better record against are Bournemouth and Watford, with nine goals apiece.
Arsenal
- Arsenal have won 10 of their 12 top-flight matches this season. Only one of the 10 previous sides to win as often at this stage of a Premier League campaign did not go on to the win the title – Newcastle in 1995-96.
- The Gunners have claimed victories in just five of their past 50 league games away to Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester City, Manchester United and Tottenham.
- Gabriel Martinelli has five goals in 12 Premier League games this season. He is only one short of his highest figure in a single campaign.
- Gabriel Jesus has failed to score in each of his eight most recent appearances in league and cup.
TEAM NEWS & ANALYSIS
Chelsea’s defensive injury list is growing by the week with Ben Chilwell the latest casualty after pulling up against Dinamo Zagreb with a hamstring injury, with long-term knee victims Wesley Fofana and Reece James – as well as midfield duo N’Golo Kante (thigh) and Carney Chukwuemeka (hamstring) all out of action too.
The sight of the left-back limping off the pitch was bad news for both Chelsea and England fans, who will now have to await for the results of a scan, but Chilwell will definitely be absent this weekend. and for the foreseeable future, halting his chances of a World Cup place with England.
It will be interesting to see how Graham Potter compensates for the loss of both Reece James and Ben Chilwell who are incredibly valuable components in their much trusted wing-back system. Much of the Blues poor form over the last year or so, especially on home turf has been down to both players being absent, with the Blues looking imbalanced, incoherent and lacking real penetration in the final third without the English pair.
Will Potter continue with Raheem Sterling at wing-back or play him in attack? Or will Marc Cucurella be handed a chance to prove himself once again in his most favoured position especially after his difficult start to life at Stamford Bridge?
Potter has already ruled goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga out of contention too with the Spaniard reportedly out until the World Cup, so Edouard Mendy will keep his place in goal, and Croatian midfielder Mateo Kovacic should be fine to return to the engine room after missing out as a precaution in midweek with a tight calf.
As for Arsenal, fans witnessed the familiar yet painful sight of Takehiro Tomiyasu coming off injured in the dying moments of the win over Zurich. The severity of the defender’s muscular issue is still unclear, but it would be a shock to see him starting against Chelsea on Sunday which means Kieran Tierney could continue at left-back after his goalscoring exploits on Thursday evening.
Emile Smith Rowe – who has scored in each of Arsenal’s last two wins at Stamford Bridge – is still out after undergoing groin surgery, and a problem in the same area could also force Matt Turner out of contention, but Arteta was handed two major boosts in midweek.
The injury that Saka sustained against Nottingham Forest was only a minor one, and he was able to come on as a substitute in the Europa League, while Oleksandr Zinchenko was finally back in the squad after a troublesome calf injury. It is unlikely the Ukrainian will start on Sunday, despite his tremendous tactical ability and versatility.
KEY PLAYERS
MATEO KOVACIC
Mateo Kovacic is arguably Chelsea’s most important player. Without question, he is the Blues most talented and decorated midfielder and already we’ve seen how crucial he is for Graham Potter’s side as he was for Thomas Tuchel.
His ability to break lines through his stunning dribbling qualities, but also his adeptness in possession makes him a decisive and crucial component in Chelsea’s team.
In possession, Kovačić employs a progressive mindset, eager to drive the ball forward in search of advanced passes into the final third. Compared to other midfielders, Kovačić boasts excellent progressive statistics per 90 minutes: 1.40 dribbles completed, 8.31 progressive carries, 3.77 carries into the final third, 6..69 progressive passes, and 9.53 passes into the final third, all of which rank within the 90th percentile.
Especially in transition, the Croatian’s ability to burst past defenders in the middle of the park provides a lethal edge in Chelsea’s counter-attacks. Pairing powerful brute force with nifty changes of pace, Kovačić is able to expertly maneuver through tight spaces. The Croatian provides qualities that arguably no other Chelsea player possesses, or if they do, they simply don’t have the same aura at which Kovacic regularly performs at.
If Chelsea are to exceed expectations under Potter this season both domestically and in Europe, they will need the Croatian fit and firing.
GABRIEL MARTINELLI
Like Kovacic for Chelsea, Martinelli remains a crucial component for Mikel Arteta’s men. The Gunners simply do not look the same attacking threat without the Brazilian maestro.
His ability to beat defenders whether cutting inside or going on the inside simply makes him one of Europe’s most exciting and devastating forwards. Not only that, but his aggression, endeavour, work rate and courageousness in the final third provides the Gunners with a much needed flexibility and cutting edge in attack.
Mikel Arteta will be secretly hoping Martinelli isn’t picked for the Brazil squad at the World Cup so that he could stay fresh for the second half of the campaign, in the Gunners’ welcome pursuit of trophies. The Brazilian has notched five goals in his 12 Premier League outings so far this campaign and a sixth on Sunday will mean he’s matched his highest top flight tally in his career.
The way he’s playing right now, you’d almost back him to triple his current tally.
PREDICTED LINE-UPS:
CHELSEA XI: Mendy (GK); Chalobah, Silva, Koulibaly; Loftus-Cheek, Jorginho, Kovacic, Cucurella; Mount; Aubameyang, Sterling
ARSENAL XI: Ramsdale (GK); White, Saliba, Gabriel, Zinchenko; Xhaka, Partey; Saka, Odegaard, Martinelli, Jesus
SCORE PREDICTION:
Chelsea 2-3 Arsenal
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